Kim Kardashian Upset About Naked Photos, W Mag Responds

On Sunday night’s episode of Kourtney And Kim Take New York, the Kardashians’ most famous sibling broke down in tears over the visibility of her nipples in that now infamous W magazine cover and spread for which she posed, well, naked.

Here’s what Kim said:

“Oh my God, I’m more naked that I was in Playboy. I’m so mad right now. [The magazine] promised I would be covered with artwork — you can see the nipples! The whole concept was sold to me that nothing would be seen. I feel so taken advantage of … I’ve definitely learned my lesson. I’m never taking my clothes off again, even if it’s for Vogue.”

The confusing part of all this is the timeline — despite the fact that this outcry occurred on an episode of a reality show that aired just this week, it’s safe to assume Kim was actually upset about the photos some time back in October. All of this, however, is a boon for W which has probably seen an insane influx of traffic from people frantically trying to sneak a peek at Kim’s silver paint-dipped nipples after hearing about them on the show; “Kim Kardashian W Magazine” was the number one trending search on Google Sunday night. (For the record, you can see them here. NSFW, obviously.)

All that said, we’re pretty sure the images in which you can actually see Kim’s nipples were outtakes from the shoot. The photos in the spread itself (as well as on W‘s website) reveal nary a nipple nor crack, but that didn’t stop a W spokesperson from giving a statement to The Cut explaining what is apparently their stance on the matter.

In keeping in line with the theme of W Magazine’s November Art Issue, Kim Kardashian’s cover was conceived as an artistic collaboration with well-known artist Barbara Kruger, and was a meditation on the influence that reality TV has on contemporary culture.

The inside portfolio documented the career and power of Kim Kardashian as a work of art, using the language of artists like Jeff Koons (see Rabbit) and Gilbert & George (see The Singing Sculpture).

In other words: Kim’s nipples (whether you can see them or not) are art.